Extend the Date

They had picked a puppy.

Rin wondered what Sonny was going to say when he and Sasha showed up to give him his medicine at six with a puppy in tow. The dog was now curled up in a crate secured on the back seat of the car next to Sasha. Sasha was tucked under his arm, her head resting on his shoulder as they sat quietly contemplating the last hour.

“Coffee?” Rin asked her suddenly. He wasn’t ready for their date to end. “I have a favorite little coffee spot I usually stop at on my way home. They’re open twenty-four hours. They make a dark roast which reminds me of the one I get back in Italy.”

“Great,” she agreed with a nod. “Do they make pastries?”

“They do but not like you do,” he kissed the top of her head before knocking on the partition to let the driver know to stop for coffee. “Have you always baked?”

She nodded, “I was about six when I got into trouble for stealing those prepackaged cupcakes from a local store in the neighborhood. The owner caught